Talia Bourne Wins 2026 Supima Design Competition
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago student received a $10,000 prize at the Supima Design Lab in New York City.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Fashion
Talia Bourne won the 2026 Supima Design Competition, taking home a $10,000 prize at the second annual Supima Design Lab held Thursday night at Lavan Studios in New York City. The competition was sponsored by Supima, a nonprofit that promotes American-grown Pima cotton worldwide.
Why it matters
The competition spotlights emerging designers working with American-grown Pima cotton, highlighting a domestic fiber in the fashion industry. The event gives young designers a platform and a monetary award to advance their work.
The competition carried a $10,000 prize and featured six finalists: Changshin Park, Elias Frost, Tay Freeman, Xingyi Liu, Adelynn Prushing, and winner Talia Bourne. Each finalist collection incorporated Supima's American-grown Pima cotton, and the event also featured 10 Festival d'Hyères finalists and five leading international designers.
The players
Supima
Supima is a nonprofit organization that promotes American-grown Pima cotton worldwide and sponsored the 2026 Supima Design Competition.
Talia Bourne
Talia Bourne is a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago who won the 2026 Supima Design Competition with a collection exploring entanglement.
Bibhu Mohapatra
Bibhu Mohapatra is a designer who led the monthslong mentorship program that developed the finalist collections for the Supima Design Competition.
Nigel Barker
Nigel Barker is a television personality and photographer who hosted the Supima Design Lab evening.
The details
Bourne's winning collection explored the concept of entanglement, and it was one of six finalist collections developed through a monthslong mentorship program led by Bibhu Mohapatra. Nigel Barker hosted the evening at Lavan Studios.
Timeline
Thursday night: Supima Design Lab and competition winner announced at Lavan Studios in New York City.
Season Trajectory
The Supima Design Competition extends the nonprofit's long-running effort to position American-grown Pima cotton within contemporary fashion design. By pairing emerging designers with mentors and a showcase platform, the event places a domestic natural fiber alongside the newer talent shaping the next wave of the industry.
For New York City residents interested in emerging fashion, the showcase offers a view of rising designers working with American-grown materials. The event highlights how mentorship programs can connect students to the professional fashion world.
The takeaway
Competitions like the Supima Design Competition give emerging designers both a monetary award and mentorship that can help launch careers. Readers interested in sustainable fashion can look at how domestic fibers like American-grown Pima cotton are used in new collections.
Further reading
Explore more New York City fashion coverage for context on the local design scene.
Source note: This article includes information reported by WWD.
